Development of body image, eating disturbance, and general psychological functioning in adolescent females: a replication using covariance structure modeling in an Australian sample

Abstract

Objective The current study is a follow up to a covariance structure modeling (CSM) investigation of predictors of body image, eating dysfunction, and general psychological functioning in U.S. adolescent females. Method Four hundred and seventy Australian girls (13–17 years old) completed measures of teasing history, body dissatisfaction, global psychological functioning, dietary restraint, and bulimic behaviors. They were also measured in order to compute body mass index (BMI).CSM techniques were used to analyze the relationships between these latent variables. Two a priori models were tested, one was selected, and post-hoc model-fitting was undertaken. Results The final model indicated that BMI directly influenced teasing, which directly influenced body dissatisfaction. Body dissatisfaction influenced both global psychological functioning and restriction, whereas restriction had a direct influence on bulimia. Global psychological functioning also had a direct influence on bulimia. Discussion The results support previous research indicating that teasing and body dissatisfaction are risk factors for the development of eating disturbances. © 2002 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 32: 46–51, 2002.